Vancouver, Sept. 20, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE)

Sustainable Produce Urban Delivery Inc. (“SPUD”), today announced the launch of Canada’s first fresh food delivery platform facility, FoodX. The 74,000 square-foot warehouse facility utilizes proprietary technology to provide sustainable home food delivery for local and national grocery retailers. The launch of the platform introduces an e-commerce grocery delivery solution that can be leveraged globally.

“FoodX leverages technology and industry experience honed over the past 20 years under SPUD, which provides a sustainable home food delivery service to third-party retailers,” said Peter van Stolk, CEO of FoodX and SPUD. “We know that sustainability works better when we can share resources and utilize technology. FoodX allows retailers to share warehouse space, infrastructure and delivery trucks so there are fewer vehicles on the road per order. Think of FoodX as carpooling for your groceries.”

First-of-its-kind technology developed by SPUD’s in-house team includes Rapid Pack Algorithm that decreases packing time along with wasted space in packed orders, picking software that uses AI to deliver instructions to warehouse packers, and proprietary delivery route optimization software that utilizes real-time data with an end goal of lowering retailers’ overall carbon footprint. These technologies enable FoodX to deliver fresh food for their retail customers across Metro Vancouver faster, more sustainably and with less plastic. Similar technology-based solutions have helped SPUD lower their food waste to 0.5%, the lowest of any grocery store in Canada.

“Sustainability will always be at the heart of FoodX and our unique platform offers a better, faster and more efficient fresh food delivery service,” said van Stolk. “We’re excited to offer our innovative retailers, like our launch partner Walmart Canada, a sustainable food delivery solution, and smaller independent grocers an option to scale online.”

“The FoodX platform will enable Walmart Canada to launch sustainable grocery delivery making it easier for Metro Vancouver families to get their groceries however and whenever they want,” said Daryl Porter, vice president, omni-channel operations and online grocery at Walmart.

Once the Burnaby facility is operating at full capacity, FoodX plans to employ 500 team members in roles as diverse as tech, customer service, business development, operations and finance which will support its national expansion. In the coming months, FoodX will service more retailers at their first facility, with plans to scale globally in the coming years.

About FoodX

FoodX is a food delivery platform that allows multiple retailers to access industry-leading technology, warehousing, food preparation and delivery services. The company is able to consolidate orders from all of its customers onto fewer trucks, thereby reducing the environmental impact for everyone. FoodX’s first location opened in Burnaby, B.C. in 2018 and plans to open locations across Canada through 2019 and beyond. FoodX is part of the Sustainable Produce Urban Delivery Inc. (SPUD) integrated food business eco-system that includes online retail, community retail locations, commissary/food preparation services and distribution.